Hello all,
Spoke with John Rutan (Audio Connections) who offered excellent set-up advice, (I'm almost there, but as we know, every inch counts), plus some pearls based on his obviously extensive knowledge of Vandersteens and audio in general.
Wow, true professional.
Suggested I don't even consider changing any gear until after the setup is dialed in perfectly, then graciously gave me half an hour of solid information about recording techniques, variables beyond our control and the fact that a lot of recordings simply don't sound very good.
Like others have already said, I can't recommend him highly enough...
Peaceful listening,
Tom